What-cha’s Yunnan Graceful Purple Zi Juan Purple Varietal Green Tea

I’ve had a few purple teas from Kenya
before, but all that I have had before were closer to black teas then greens
let alone a purple tea from Yunnan, so What-cha’s Graceful Purple Zi Juan
really interested me. Because of my little mix-up yesterday I did not have a
gongfu session with this tea, but I may return to it at a later date.

This is a wonderfully smoky green tea,
the dry leaves smell like beef jerky and dry gourd. The leaves are very dark
for a green tea, but even with the pungent smoky smell, I could smell it was a
green tea. The dry leaves remind me a little of a long jing crossed with a very
tippy white tea.

For my first infusion I brewed at 176°F
for two minutes. Instantly I was greeted with a very smooth texture. It had moderate (if it was a black tea, I have
never had a smoky green tea before), but it also had a tangy grape taste as
well. It had a mild smoky aroma, also a little vegetal.

My next infusion I brewed at 185°F for
three minutes. This time it had a very silky creamy texture. While it was still smoky, I was starting to
taste very mild floral notes, there was also some fruity notes and a little
earthiness at the end.

Overall I found this tea to be really nice;
I enjoyed the lingering smoky taste while the initial smell may stop a veteran
green tea drinker, if you take the plunge and brew it I am sure you’ll love it.
It almost reminds me of an oolong/Hei-cha hybrid, but in the back of my mind I
could always see how it is a green tea.

I also noticed that this tea is prone to
staining, although it was not hard to clean.I making iced tea with the used
leaves, so I might have an update on this tomorrow.